Many purchasers are often unable or unwilling to pay for a desired purchase. The purchase may be, for example, a single high-priced item or a number of lower-priced items that together have a high purchase price. Unfortunately, the purchase price may be more than the purchaser is able or willing to spend at the time of sale.
Credit card accounts can allow greater flexibility in paying for purchases. When a purchase is paid for with a credit card, the purchaser need not tender cash or otherwise immediately forego money. Instead, the purchaser must pay the issuer of the credit card account within a predetermined period of time. Credit card accounts thereby allow purchasers to incur costs greater than those they are able to pay at the time of sale.
Costs that are "charged" (paid for using a credit card account) are added to a "balance" of the account. The purchaser may pay the balance with a single payment or in several smaller payments made over a period of time. Many purchasers prefer paying several smaller payments, instead of a single, larger payment. In return for allowing the purchaser to pay over a period of time, the issuer imposes interest on the balance. Typically, the balance is incremented by a predetermined interest rate at regular intervals, such as each month. In summary, payment amounts are subtracted from the balance, while interest and additional charged costs are added to the balance.
Each credit card account typically has a balance limit that is set by the issuer in order to deter or prevent a purchaser from incurring an unduly high balance. Exceeding the balance limit may not be allowed, or may impose a substantial penalty fee. Without such a balance limit, a purchaser may charge so many costs that the balance becomes unduly high. Consequently, the purchaser may not be able or willing to pay for the balance, and thus the issuer will not receive payments that are due.
The restrictions imposed by the balance limit are another reason why many purchasers are often unable or unwilling to pay for a desired purchase. Many purchasers are reluctant to maintain a balance that is near the balance limit, for fear of exceeding the balance limit. In addition, the purchaser may worry that a necessary but unanticipated purchase may not be allowed. For example, if a credit card account has a balance limit of $5,000 and a balance of $4,500, an "emergency" purchase of $1000 may not be allowed if exceeding the balance limit is forbidden.
Some sellers allow selected items to be paid for in a number of periodic payments ("installments"), rather than in one payment at the time of sale, as is more common. In return, the seller typically imposes a rate of interest on the purchase price, and interest thereby forms a part of each installment payment. For example, a seller may allow purchasers to pay for a $100 item with three installments of $35 per month. The seller receives 3.times.$35=$105 after the three installments are paid, which represents the $100 purchase price and $5 interest. Such smaller periodic payments are preferable to many purchasers, who may not be able to pay a single large payment.
Unfortunately, such installment-type payment plans ("installment plans") suffer from several drawbacks. For example, a seller must be assured that a purchaser is financially reliable, otherwise one or more installments may not be received. Therefore, the purchaser typically must obtain and complete a credit application, undergo a credit check and await credit approval, which is annoying and inconvenient to the purchaser.
The seller is likewise inconvenienced by establishing such installment plans, processing credit applications, policing nonpayment of installments and incurring various other expenses. It is inconvenient to bill each month, and economically unfeasible to bill each month for small amounts. In addition, it is difficult for a seller to collect bad debt (unpaid installments), especially since most sellers are not accustomed to collecting bad debt.
Overall, such installment plans can be expensive for the seller and annoying to the purchaser. Consequently, not all sellers allow installment payments, and those that do typically allow installment payments only for a limited selection of high-priced items, rather than for each item. Sellers rarely, if ever, allow installment payments on lower-priced purchases since the benefits to the seller are believed to be outweighed by the costs.
Banco Bilbao Vizcayo ("BBV") is a credit card issuer that allows some purchasers to pay their account balances in installments. A purchaser negotiates via telephone with a BBV representative to establish an acceptable installment plan, if possible, at a time after purchases are paid for. Since the installment plan is established after purchases are paid for, the purchaser does not know at the time of sale whether installment payments will even be allowed. In addition, the purchaser does not know at the time of sale what interest rate will be applied if installment payments are allowed. Consequently, at the time of sale the purchaser may not be able to determine whether the purchase price is acceptable, even with an installment plan. In summary, negotiating with BBV to pay for an existing balance in installments cannot permit purchasers to make informed purchasing decisions at the time of sale.
Many banks provide loans, wherein the loan may be used to pay for various purchases. Such loans are typically repaid in fixed installments. Unfortunately, requesting and obtaining such loans is expensive and time-consuming, and loans may not be dispensed frequently. In addition, interest accumulates on the entire loan amount, so it is not efficient to use such loans to pay for frequent and varying purchases.
Some credit card issuers offer pre-approved loans in which installment payments of the loan are applied to the credit card account balance. Such pre-approved loans are typically offered only to purchasers with strong credit histories. In addition, the offered loan is typically a large amount of money, such as thousands of dollars. Thus, as described above, it is not efficient to use such loans to pay for frequent and varying purchases. Accordingly, the usefulness of such a loan is limited for smaller purchase prices.
It would be advantageous to provide a method and apparatus that allowed purchasers to pay for a variety of purchases in installments. Such a method and apparatus would ideally overcome the drawbacks of known installment plans.